No need to book before you travel, but just, say, the day before or a couple of days before you want to go.Which resort are you staying at ?

Have been on trips with sealife from Alvor twice. In high season need to book a few days in advanceto get a convenient time, there is a stand on the seafront in Alvor. Can highly recommend the trips. both times saw loads of dolphins and the trip out and back in the RIB is an experience on its own!!

Thank you for your help.

We are staying in a villa in Vale de Para.

The trips look great fun. Will my 9 year old be ok as I know it can be a bit 'hair raising' !!

The ones I've seen seem to be very professional with safety drills and lifejackets.As long as he's sensible, your youngster should be fine.

LBD - 9yo will be fine - although depending on how tall they are the crew may recommend a seat -most of the seats you straddle as you would a horse or a bike and your feet must be able to touch the ground if they can't touch the ground you sit on a traditional seat at the back (the view isn't restricted and anyway when you find dolphins the speed is cut right down and you are allowed to move around the boat watching/taking pictures etc)

As Sagres said the trips do seem to be professionally run and life jackets are mandatory

Thank you for your help.

Don't book till the last minute. We've had 3 dolphin trips and no sucess yet as weather has turned. Good lick.
Anne

We wanted to go dolphin watching in Vilamoura so we wandered past the sales huts there and haggled 20% of the trip. They give out "20% off your next trip" vouchers when you finish a trip but can, at their discretion, give you one to use on your first trip to clinch a sale.
My tip is not to be the first trip of the day. Once they've been out and found them once they have a better fix on them for the next trip hence less time looking for them. That's my theory anyway!
Thoroughly enjoyed it by the way.